Jets should bench struggling veteran WR for preseason star in Week 3

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has preached accountability since the first time he set foot inside the team's facilities as the man in charge in Florham Park.

Glenn has made it clear — both privately and publicly — that players who repeatedly make mistakes or don't put in the effort will not be rewarded with playing time on Sundays. If this new Jets regime really wants to abide by that principle, there's an obvious change staring them in the face ahead of Week 3.

Allen Lazard belongs nowhere near a football field for the Jets in the year 2025. While his unspectacular performance this past Sunday may not have raised many red flags to those who just watched the broadcast footage, a closer look at the tape reveals a player who appears visibly checked out.

With starting wide receiver Josh Reynolds out for the second consecutive week due to a hamstring injury, Lazard seems primed to play a regular role in the team's offense again in Week 3. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The Jets have a perfectly capable Lazard replacement sitting on their practice squad, and you can guarantee his effort would be much more befitting of an NFL player if he were given an opportunity to suit up this week. That player is Brandon Smith.

The Jets should elevate Brandon Smith to replace Allen Lazard in Week 3

Lazard played 22 snaps in the Jets' Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills and was not targeted a single time. Now, some of this was clearly a result of the Jets' inept passing attack, led by Justin Fields, who had one of the worst games of his NFL career.

But many were also quick to call out Lazard's apparent lack of effort. Joe Caporoso referred to Lazard as an "empty jersey" on a recent episode of the Badlands podcast, insisting Lazard clearly "has no interest in being here."

If that lack of effort is apparent to fans and analysts watching the game back, you'd best believe it's painfully apparent to the coaches and players doing the same. Trotting him out on Sunday after the performance we just saw a week ago would set a precedent that flies against everything Glenn supposedly stands for.

Meanwhile, you have a player in Smith who not only outplayed Lazard — and most of the receivers on the Jets' roster this summer — but also has established chemistry with Tyrod Taylor, having spent much of training camp working with the second-team offense.

Smith led the Jets with 10 catches for 113 yards in the preseason and made a strong push for a 53-man roster spot. That's now two preseasons in a row that Smith has looked like an NFL-caliber wide receiver, which is something the Jets don't have a lot of at the moment.

Why not give him a chance with Reynolds sidelined again this weekend? Lazard has no future with the organization and clearly doesn't even want to be on the field for this team anymore. At a bare minimum, Smith would give you effort.

The Jets will have to use one practice squad elevation on undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook this week, but the team should have the other to play with. Last week's elevation, cornerback Korie Black, played just four special-teams snaps.

If this Jets coaching staff is going to continue preaching accountability as their guiding football principle, there's no excuse for letting Lazard back on the field this Sunday. It should be Brandon Smith time.

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